by
Rachel Cummins
| Aug 29, 2011
Steve Jobs stepped down from Apple recently. Whether you work in the technology industry or not, odds are you know that Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple and was person responsible for the some of the most innovative products of the past century, like the Macintosh computer, iPhone, iPad etc. He is a household name, in technology marketing that is quite unusual. The technology sector is too often seen as dry, boring, and stiff! So what was it that made Jobs different? He is a wild-card, known for his partying and philandering certainly – but he is also a genius in his field. Innovative, charismatic, and fun - these are all attributes that, when applied to the head of a company, transmit to the products themselves, and they most definitely apply to Jobs. The fact that the CEO of Apple is a bit of a rock star has definitely has helped Apple products shift. So how does this translate to you and your brand, as a technology marketer?
Bring personality into the marketing mix
Whether it’s you or the CEO, it’s crucial that the brand has a face, one person who represents the brand most often. It’s fine to choose a team of people who will be profiled as faces of the brand, but select one to be the main face. Often it’s obvious who that should be; think of Richard Branson or Alan Sugar. Who would the most appropriate person for the job be? Someone in a suitably senior position would be ideal, a good communicator with a great sense of humour, and most importantly a strong sense of personality. It’s OK to show a little bit of who you are as a brand via your team; in fact it should be positively encouraged. Small or large, if you have a human face to your organisation or company, people are more likely to engage with you on a personal scale, and that will do your business no harm whatsoever. To its most extreme effect, their personality co-exists with the product, i.e. Steve Jobs is a maverick genius, therefore if I buy an iPad I am too. Kate Moss is a sexy fashion icon, so if I buy a dress designed by her, I will be sexy and iconic too. You get my point. You may think this is extreme, but even if you are a small business, you can do something similar.
Use Twitter to show your human side
Social media, in particular Twitter, is an excellent way to show the face of your brand. As well as using it to distribute content, and launch product news, why not post opinion on there too. As well as the official channel with a logo as its profile picture, consider the team having Twitter accounts that they use in their capacity as representatives of your brand, for example @DaveatCompany. Have conversations with contemporaries using such a channel, and don’t be afraid of being a person and not just a brand. Say who is at the helm of the Twitter page. You are more likely to have networking success on Twitter if people are chatting to Dave than a faceless logo.
Contribute articles and comments in relevant places
So how else can you show that your IT business is fun, interesting and knowledgeable? One way to illustrate expertise and get your opinion out there is to contribute blogs and articles to relevant publications. Offer to do it for free in return for your name, URL and a sentence about you and your brand. Not only does this put you and your business across as key thought leaders, but it shows personality, and offers a place to begin a dialogue too. Target publications that your potential customers read to get the best effect.
Summary: use Twitter and blogs to show brand personality but plan, plan, plan!
As with all of the best social media strategy, growing your company using profile marketing such as outlined above requires a lot of planning. It is not a matter of set up a channel and get Tweeting. When representing a brand it is crucial that you create a policy document so that you and others who are communicating as an employee are all on the same page about what to say, and what not to say. Think about your target audience, what they are looking for from you – and then how you can illustrate that via articles, blogs, Twitter etc. Remember, there is no business without the people, so make the most of them and put them in the spotlight!